Copyright The Oregonian
Airlines canceled 23 more Portland flights Tuesday as travel disruptions continue even as Congress moves toward a vote to end the federal government shutdown. That’s about 6% of all the flights scheduled at PDX on Tuesday. The airport had three more cancellations than it did Monday. Alaska Airlines, PDX’s busiest airline, accounted for 17 of Tuesday’s cancellations. The cancellations were all regional flights to destinations in the western U.S., including Salt Lake City, Seattle, Boise, San Francisco and Sacramento (see the full list below.) It wasn’t clear, though, whether the government shutdown was responsible for all the cancellations. The shutdown added to the strain on the nation’s air traffic control system, which has been understaffed for years. Controllers haven’t been paid during the shutdown and some have missed shifts while taking on other work to make ends meet. President Donald Trump threatened Monday to dock the pay of controllers who missed shifts while proposing a $10,000 bonus to those who stay on the job. The Senate voted Monday on a deal to end the shutdown but the government won’t reopen until the House of Representatives gives its approval. In the meantime, the Federal Aviation Administration has warned that the number of canceled flights will continue to climb. The New York Times reported that airlines canceled more than 1,100 flights nationwide Tuesday. Major airports in New York, Chicago and Atlanta had more than 100 flights canceled apiece. Here’s the full list of Tuesday’s cancellations at PDX as of 10:30 a.m.:
